What Lies Within
by Coraline15
Summary: Sora and his friends are on a mission to investigate a castle being held in an unyielding darkness. As they delve deeper into the darkness of the castle, the five friends may realize that some things may be best left alone. (Supernatural/Suspense)
1. Chapter 1

What Lies Within

**_Disclaimers: All Kingdom Hearts characters are owned by Disney and Square Enix and are all copied without permission. I have made this story for fun and not profit._**

Writer's Note: This idea is yet another RP with a friend.. I seem to have started a habit of making role plays into stories.. For a while, I had held off on making it into a story, but as time went on, I couldn't resist making this into a story.. This is meant to be a kind of early Halloween type of story.. So, if anyone is easily frightened or made uneasy, I suggest not continuing from this point on.. But those who would like to, may continue.. I hope you all enjoy it. (Rated for suspense and bloodshed)

Prologue

There was a soft crunching of leaves and dirt as Sora, Riku, and Kairi made their way through the dense forest. They had left their ship behind as it had become impossible for them to fly it through the trees. Every once in a while, they would glance around to figure out which direction they were heading in and trying their best to walk through the underbrush as they made their way toward their destination.

The trio soon stopped as they reached a clearing. Before them, stood a massive castle. Battlements that had once stood tall now were covered by moss and vines which were now snaking up the walls and ramparts of the castle. It seemed that the constant exposure to rain, wind, and snow had caused some of the sturdy towers to collapse in on themselves. They continued to gaze up at it taking in the sight as they waited for Axel and Roxas to arrive. Sora soon turned his attention to the surrounding area, getting an uneasy feeling as he took notice of the once tended garden that had now become completely overgrown. He could see many of the trees that had once been kept trimmed now tore up the ground with their ever spreading roots.

Riku placed a hand on his childhood friend's shoulder.

"You okay, Sora?"

"Huh? Oh! Y-yeah.." Sora responded. "I just.. I have this feeling.."

"What feeling?" asked Kairi, curiously.

"It's.. Hard to explain.." Sora replied. "This place feels.. Different."

Before Riku or Kairi could continue asking him questions, there was a noise in the surrounding trees. The trio spun around to see Axel and Roxas walking toward them from out of the tree-line.

Axel waved cheerily, Roxas smiling at them. "Heya, best buds. How's my favorite non-nobody buddies doing?" Axel wanted to know.

Sora smiled a little.

"We're okay.."

Roxas noticed the unease in Sora's tone.

"Everything alright?"

"I'm fine.. It's just.. There's something about this place that makes me.. Uneasy.."

Axel looked up at the castle. "I admit, it looks pretty awful right now." He confessed. "It's gotten really overgrown."

Roxas and Kairi nodded.

"Master Yen Sid had mentioned that even though most of the darkness is from here, he mentioned this castle is still being held in darkness." Riku mentioned. "Something has to be holding the darkness here."

"Then let's investigate." Roxas offered to them all as he manifested his Keyblade.

*SHING!*

He held it up, twirling it around.

"Whatever lies within...we can face it together!" Roxas confidently stated.

Riku, Sora, and Kairi nodded in agreement. Sora summoned his Keyblade as well and soon Roxas and Sora aimed their Keyblades at the door to the castle. With creaks and moans, the aged door began to open. A wave of old air washed out over them, filling the air with the smell of dust and old water.

Casting a light spell, Roxas and Sora led the way into the dark interior of the castle. Looking into the darkness, the five friends made their way down the unlit, stone staircase.

"Alright, stay close." Riku advised. "We're not sure what we'll be up against.

All of them stayed good and close to each other as the musty air of the castle wafted through their nostrils, exiting out into a long hallway, with faded candles hanging on the walls, the candle wicks having long since gone out.

As they continued walking, the only sound came from their feet hitting against the hard stones, and those sounds became echoed almost tenfold against the hard stone of the tunnel walls.

"I don't like this.." Sora whispered. "It's too quiet.."

They soon reached a big, enormous stone door, Axel grinning as he cracked his knuckles.

"Well...I'll go first." He said, holding his foot up.

He kicked as hard as he could and the old stone door soon broke into chunks!

Everyone jumped at the loud crunch as the stone broke into pieces. Dust curled off the floor and filled the air. Sora and Roxas recast their light spell as the five friends stepped into the long sealed chamber. They were surprised to find the door had led them into a large and circular room. It had corridors branching off in all directions. Some of the signs still hung from the old stonework, while others had fallen and rotted away, leaving some paths a mystery.

"Now what? It's going to take us forever to get through these." Sora groaned.

"Well, we could split up." Roxas reasoned. "I mean, most of us are armed and can do magic!" He remarked.

"Kairi, perhaps you'd prefer to go with Sora?" Axel asked with a little chuckle.

Kairi and Sora looked to each other before giving each other shy and secretive smiles, before Sora spoke up.

"Well uh.. Sure." he replied.

So, each of them all took different hallways, Kairi and Sora going together as Riku, Roxas and Axel took their own halls, going off into the dark recesses within.

**Author's Note: I apologize if this may seem a bit rushed.. I had also been unsure of how to start this.. I will try to get more up soon..**


	2. Chapter 2

Part One

The air in the tunnels was extremely stale and rather cold. Roxas looked all around and stopped as he sense something within the darkness. Roxas spun around to look what it was. Nothing met him and he turned around. He froze as a low scraping filled the air, as if someone was dragging a sharp blade against the stonework. He spun around and around, trying to find the source of the sound. He felt a hand on his should and let out startled yelp and spun around, swinging his Keyblade at whatever was standing behind him, not realizing Riku was standing behind him. Riku had jumped back to avoid being struck by the weapon.

"Riku.." Roxas breathed, relieved to see his friend.

Riku made his way over to him.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"I.. Y-yeah.." Roxas replied. "I just.."

He continued looking about, unsure if he had been imagining the sounds. Riku looked at him, a bit concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"I.. N-nothing.. Did you find anything?"

"No," Riku frowned. "The tunnel I had been in was blocked, so I came back to see if anyone else found anything."

Roxas remained silent as he once again turned to look into the darkness. As he stared into the blackness beyond, he couldn't help but feel something was watching them. Riku placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Roxas to turn to look at him.

"C'mon," Riku said. "We should find the others."

Roxas looked unsure at first but soon he nodded and after casting one more uneasy glance toward the darkness again, he followed close behind Riku as they headed off to find the others.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sora and Kairi heard faint whispering echoing through the air, the two clinging to each other a bit. Sora held Kairi close as he looked all around, trying to find the source of the whispering. Though they could hear them getting louder, they couldn't understand what was being said. Sora and Kairi jumped as a loud crash echoed through the tunnel.

"S..Sora?" Kairi whimpered.

"Don't worry, Kairi.. I'm here to protect you."

There was a slight breeze from within the tunnel, causing the duo to stop in their tracks. Sora stared into the dark, his eyes growing wide as he saw the tunnel seeming to be filled pure and unending nothingness. Sora readied his Keyblade, determined to protect Kairi at any cost.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Axel moved alone through the dark hallway, using his fiery powers to light the way, his eyes flittering left and right. He could faintly sense SOMETHING was close...

As Axel continued walking, the air seemed to have become much colder. In moments, wisps of mist left his mouth as the tunnel became unnaturally cold. A low growl soon filled the air around him. It was at this point that the darkness before him seemed impenetrable by the light of his powers. The growling was becoming louder and louder as the darkness began closing in.

Axel frowned as he held up BOTH hands, focusing, summoning him charkram.

*THWOOOOM!*

"I don't know what's out there, but you don't stand a chance!" he proclaimed as he grinned proudly. "Whatever you are, you're SO going down!"

The low growling grew louder as the darkness began to close in around him. It was becoming much colder now. A cold draft was now blowing across Axel's face.

Suddenly, there was swish of something moving past him, striking his weapon with a loud clang of metal on metal. There was another swish of something zipped past, slicing through the shoulder of his cloak and leaving a rather deep cut in his skin!

Axel gasped, cringing, panting a bit as he reeled back.

"What the?!" He cried out before he launched a wave of fire at his attacker, whatever it was!

*THA-WOOOOSH!*

As the fire lit everything up, there was nothing around him. He stood in an empty hallway as the tattered tapestries became ablaze, casting the corridor in an eerie orange glow.

Axel looked about, stunned. What the...he was SURE he'd sensed...something! SOMETHING had been in this hall, but...what?

Then, suddenly, there was a voice within the tunnel.

"Axel? Are you there?"

Behind him, Riku and Roxas were hurrying toward him.

"We heard an explosion." Roxas informed him. "Are you alright?"

Axel glanced about, looking unusually nervous.

"I thought...there was SOMETHING in these tunnels..." He mumbled out. "...something black and deadly..."

"I.. I heard something too.." Roxas replied.

Riku was surprised by this.

"Why didn't you mention that before?"

"Well.. I thought it was just me.." Roxas replied, looking at the floor, shamefaced.

"Let's stick together, then." Axel remarked. "This time it won't catch any of us off guard."

"We better find Sora and Kairi," Riku replied. "We have to make sure they're alright."

"Good idea." Axel admitted.

With that said, the three headed off to find their friends.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sora and Kairi were making their way further down the hallway they were in and had finally reached a doorway, at long last!

Kairi helped Sora along as they made it into the tunnel. Sora was covered in bruises from doing what he needed to protect Kairi from whatever had been attacking them.

"We have to find.. The others.." Sora breathed out.

They heard something coming, racing towards them through the darkness and Sora quickly closed the door.

*THWAMP!*

The thing on the other end banged on the door, causing Sora to cringe.

"What on Earth IS that thing?" He mused aloud.

Kairi backed away from the door the thing was still trapped behind. The ground and walls seemed to shake from the force of it pounding and slamming against the door.

A loud and unearthly roar echoed through the tunnel as it rammed into the door. It was at that point the duo heard part of the lock on the door snap. Kairi readied her Keyblade, ready to fight whatever was in the darkness.

Sora decided it was best he draw his own keyblade. "I can hear it racing at the door again. On the count of three, I'm gonna whip it open, it'll flop right inside our hall, and we'll attack. Sound good?" He asked Kairi. "On the count of three! One...two..."

"THREE!"

As they opened the door, there was nothing but a rush of air. The air was freezing cold and the air carried an undercurrent of something metallic.. Blood.. Sora and Kairi stared into the darkness as the faint whispering from before began to surround them once more.

"S..Sora..?"

Sora stood completely still as he gazed into the darkness. The hallway ahead of them seemed to have become an abyss of darkness, endlessly extending ahead of them.

**Author's Note: It is hard to know when I will continue, since this is an RP and it would take a bit for me to figure out what to do or how it will go.. But please be patient, I will do what I can to continue.. Thanks..**


	3. Chapter 3

Part Two

Sora held up his Keyblade, taking in a deep breath to steady himself.

"Let your heart...be your guiding key." He whispered, holding his Keyblade up as light gathered all around the end, and then...

A beam of light shot from it with the sound of a crack of thunder, casting light into the dark hallway before them. In an instant, the beam of light burst with the force of a firework, filling every area of the corridor with light. The light from the Keyblade grew much brighter. The darkness around them made a loud hissing noise as if it was being burnt. As they both looked into the now lit corridor, there didn't seem to be any sign of whatever had been following them. It was just an empty hallway.

Sora smiled back at Kairi.

"As long as we remain strong and together...we can overcome ANYTHING the darkness throws at us." He promised Kairi.

Kairi smiled and nodded. It was at that moment, they heard something within the corridor.

"Sora? Kairi? Are you there?"

It sounded like Roxas. The duo turned to see it was indeed, Roxas, Riku, and Axel.

"You're okay!" Sora said, relieved.

Sora grinned at the sight of them.

"Heya guys! Whatever else is here, my light can send them packing." He said, swinging his keyblade about. "We're gonna be fine if we stick together!"

Roxas and the others nodded. The soon continued on through the tunnel where Sora and Kairi had gone through the door, finding the corridor was leading them farther into the depths of the castle.

The tunnels were just tunnels thanks to the Keyblade's strong light. As they headed deeper into the castle, Roxas suddenly had an uneasy feeling as he noticed a faint light glowing back at them at the far end of a tunnel. It reminded him of an old oil lantern he had seen on his missions to other worlds. How was that possible? This castle was supposed to be abandoned.

"That's odd..." Roxas commented, looking a bit confused. "Is someone there?" He called out. "Hello?"

His voice echoed back at him as the five friends made their way through the tunnel. The sound of water dripping onto the floor was the only noise that accompanied the sounds of their footsteps. As they continued, they realized the tunnel had begun to slope downward, sending them farther beneath ground. As they continued onward, the sound of cascading water began to grow louder the farther they went.

They soon came to a large archway and stopped. Sora was shocked to see they had entered a massive cathedral. He gazed around at the ancient brick walls, which had become worn away by the constant rush of water.

"I don't like this.." he muttered softly.

Riku made his way toward the center of the room, but stopped as he found the ground had opened into a massive pit of nothingness.

"See anything in there?" Sora called out.

"Nope. Not a thing." Riku said as Axel approached.

"Hold up, lemme check."

Axel held his hand up, a small fireball forming within it.

"Let's see how far down it goes, and if there's anything down there." He suggested, tossing the fireball into the dark pit.

The fireball lit up the pit, showing it was less deep than they originally had thought. However, as they gazed into the pit. They couldn't help but stare on in horror at what they saw. Bones were scattered about the pit. The bones were clean and dry, indicating they may have been there for ages.

"O-oh GOD.." Sora whimpered.

A rogue shadow ran along the wall behind them, causing Roxas to spin around.

"W-who's THERE!?" he shouted.

His voice was trembling as an unbridled fear began to overtake him. The others took notice of the shadow, Sora being the first to act.

"Get your weapons up!" Sora cried out, holding his keyblade up high, light soon forming around it. "And let your heart be your guiding key! Don't be afraid, guys. We're together!"

The others nodded and readied their weapons. The shapeless shadow began to cascade over the wall and rose into the air. Soon a form emerged from the shadows, revealing it to have inky black skin, wrapped around a slightly skinny, skeletal type body which was angular and pointed on the edges, like armor. The creature stood at twenty feet and seemed to have characteristics like that of a dragon. It gazed down at them with hollow, crimson eyes. It seemed to be mocking them with a leering smile, its mouth opening to reveal a gaping hole of white filled with jagged black.

Roxas felt a shiver go through him, though he readied himself. The creature let out a low growl and began to move closer toward them.

"Stand together, everyone!" Sora insisted, holding his Keyblade up.

He took aim at the dragon of darkness, the Keyblade's pulsating light shooting forth from the end, striking it in the shoulder. There was a loud warped screech, as if someone harshly dragged a needle along the length of a delicate record with little regard. The screeching echoed throughout the chamber.

Sora and the others covered their ears as the screeching grew louder. The creature snarled as it loomed over them. It lunged at Sora.

"Look OUT!" Roxas shouted, shoving his friend to the side.

Roxas let out an agonized scream as the creature bit into his shoulder.

"ROXAS!" Kairi cried.

She and Riku rushed toward the creature and sent a blast of light at its face, making the creature let Roxas go. It snarled before abruptly exploding into a tornado of swirling, jet black smoke, and rushing past them into the darkness of the tunnels.

Roxas was on the ground, tightly gripping his horribly bleeding shoulder in terrible agony.

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for taking such a long time, but I had been rather busy.. I will try to get more up soon..**


	4. Chapter 4

Part Three

Sora hurried to Roxas's side and knelt beside him.

"I got this." he said

Sora pulled out a potion and gave it to Roxas.

"Don't worry, I packed PLENTY of these!" He offered warmly.

"Wow, Sora actually THOUGHT AHEAD for once!" Riku laughed.

"Heyyyy!" Sora said with a blush.

Roxas chuckled a little but soon felt a burning sensation as he poured the potion on the injury, causing him to cringe. Kairi made her way over to him.

"Roxas, are you alright?" she asked.

"I-it just hurts." he muttered.

"Do you need another potion?" asked Riku.

Roxas was about to speak but felt a jolt of pain in his shoulder. He cringed as he gripped his shoulder, gritting his teeth.

"Roxas?"

Kairi reached toward him, but jumped back as he shot her a look.

Roxas was staring at her, his teeth slightly bared. It was at seeing her fearful expression that he snapped back to his senses, his eyes growing wide as he moved away from her.

"Kairi, I-I'm so sorry.." he frowned.

He turned his gaze to the ground, refusing to look at the others around him.

"Let's just get out of here." Axel suggested. "Honestly, this place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea." Sora remarked with a nod.

Roxas looked up, and locked eyes with Axel. It was hard to notice at first but there seemed to be an unusually dark look within his expression. Roxas then turned to the others.

"Yeah.. Sure.." he began to head out of the room.

Riku took notice of Roxas's unusual behavior, sensing something about him was a bit off.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Everyone headed back the way they came, and soon all of them were out and into the sunshine as Axel stretched.

"Ahhh, feels good to be outta there. Let's celebrate. Sea salt ice cream's on me!" he grinned.

They began to head away from the castle. Roxas, however, refused to step out into the light and only stood in the doorway, staring out at the brightly lit surroundings of the castle. Sora and the others soon turned to look at him.

"Roxas?" said Sora.

Roxas looked at him, his eyes filled with a look of anxiety in his eyes.

"Roxas, what's wrong?" asked Kairi

She reached for his hand but he jerked away, stepping back into the shadows.

"Roxas, what's wrong?" Sora asked.

Roxas only stared out into the light. He felt a sudden pain in his body and he fell to his knees.

The others knelt by his side, Axel looking concerned.

"Roxas, buddy, talk to me, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, he doesn't look good at all." Sora confessed.

Roxas lifted his head, his eyes locked with Axel's. Sora and the others were shocked to see that while Roxas's eyes were blue, they seemed to have a ring of crimson ringing the irises. Roxas tightly gripped Axel's arm. Roxas stared up at him as an uncharacteristically dark smile spread across his face. A dark mist soon began to surround them.

"Lumen tenebraeque perire valebit.." Roxas growled.

He stared up at Axel with an almost feral grin, showcasing his teeth. Before anyone can react, Axel, Sora, and Roxas were pulled into the depths of darkness within the castle.

"NO!" Sora cried.

It was the last thing Sora said before the doors to the castle slammed shut with a loud click.

Riku and Kairi ran to the now locked doors.

"Sora! Axel! Roxas!"

Riku banged on the doors before he got out his keyblade.

"Okay, stand back!" He told Kairi, taking his keyblade to the door to bust it down, swinging it wildly. "OPEN! UP!" He cried out.

The doors seemed to hold up, regardless of how hard Riku struck them.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Darkness once again surrounded Sora, Axel, and Roxas as they were pulled deeper into the depths.

"Let GO!" Sora shouted.

As they were drug deeper into the depths, Sora was shocked to see Roxas glaring back at him from the darkness. His eyes were.. Wrong.. They were not the usual warm sapphire blue.. But a cold and hollow crimson color.

"R-Roxas?"

The being who was not Roxas snarled back at him.

"Lumen tenebraeque perire valebit.."

He gripped Sora's arm in a death-grip, to the point that Sora's arm was beginning to bruise.

"Roxas.." Sora whimpered.

Sora held up his keyblade, holding it high. Light cascaded forth around it.

"Let your heart...be your guiding key!" He proclaimed as the light swirled forth, to slam into Roxas's chest.

Roxas let out an unearthly shriek of pain and let go before taking off into the tunnels at an unnatural speed.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted.

He took off after his friend, his now bruising arm still hurting as he followed behind him as best as he could.

Riku and Kairi, having managed to break through the wood barrier, managed to catch up to Axel and Sora.

"Come on, let's go after him!" Axel cried out, racing after Sora.

Riku and Kairi followed behind Axel as fast as they could, tearing off into the dark recesses of the tunnels.

"Roxas, wait for us! Come back!" Riku shouted

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The farther they traveled into the dark tunnels, they were suddenly hit by the strong smell of blood. Sora gagged and stumbled back as he crossed the threshold of the underground cathedral. The smell of blood was potent. In the middle of the room was a single figure lying motionless on the floor.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted.

He ran to him, grabbing his hand. Sora froze as he noticed Roxas was ice cold.

"Roxas? ROXAS!"

Sora shook him, trying to wake him. The sound of whispers from before soon began to fill the room. Roxas suddenly grabbed Sora's arm, causing him to jump and stare at him. Roxas looked him in the eye, his eyes a mix of reds and blues, tears slipped down his face.

"H...lp... M..me..." he whimpered.

He let out another scream of agony as he doubled over in pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Kairi inquired as the others looked over Roxas.

"Whatever is inside of him, we need to get it out. Light seemed to work." Sora reasoned.

"We gotta keep it up, then?" Riku inquired.

"It's our best bet." Axel remarked with a nod. "Roxas, I promise, we WILL save you."

There was a low scraping noise from all around them as darkness overtook the room.

"We need to HURRY!" Sora urged.

He summoned his Keyblade when something zipped past and struck the Keyblade, knocking it from Sora's hand.

Everyone turned to where the attack came from and were horrified to see a pair of piercing red eyes staring back at them. A gigantic black dragon rose up from the pit. While before it had been covered in an almost inky black substance, it's body was covered in darkness that seemed to flow around it like dancing flames.

As it stared at them, its mouth began to open revealing its jagged sharp teeth. It seemed to be grinning at them as it made its way toward them, each step echoing with a loud thud through the room.

"We finally meet again, guardians of light.."

The creature's voice was warped and had an impossibly deep bass tone.

Sora stared at the creature in shock.

"Who ARE you!?"

The dragon turned toward him, its deep red eyes locking with Sora's.

"I am surprised you do not remember me.. But.. I suppose it HAS been a while.. Hasn't it..? My brother.."

Sora's eyes grew wide in horror.

"Vanitas?"

**Author's Note: I apologize for not updating earlier but I had been very busy.. I will try to update soon..**


	5. Chapter 5

Part Four

Sora looked astounded, mouth agape.

"Vanitas? You're...alive?" He inquired, looking surprised.

"I thought you were gone..." Axel intoned, looking mortified as Riku and Kairi glanced at each other.

"Let Roxas go now or ELSE!" Axel growled.

"Now, why would I do that?" Vanitas inquired. "True.. He was not my initial target.."

Vanitas moved about the room as he spoke.

"But.. It had been his own fault for getting in my way.."

Roxas tried to get up but fell to the floor as the dark mist around him transformed into metal chains, which held him to the floor. There was bright flash as a dark purplish barrier surrounded Roxas.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted.

He ran to the barrier, but was knocked to the floor. Sora felt a pain in his chest, causing him to double over. Roxas's eyes snapped open in horror.

"Sora!"

Sora staggered to his feet as the sharp pain spread through him.

"We're not.. Leaving w-without him!" Sora growled.

Vanitas chuckled darkly as he loomed over him.

"You are a fool.."

Sora was suddenly hit by sharp pain in his head and chest as Vanitas locked eyes with him, causing him to collapse to the floor.

"You had always been rebellious.." Vanitas stated.

Sora glared up at him as he fought through the pain.

"Perhaps we can make an deal.." Vanitas grinned. "Since Roxas was not my intended target.."

Sora stared at him before his eyes went wide as everything suddenly became shockingly clear.

"It's me you need.. Isn't it.." Sora muttered.

Vanitas grinned.

"I always said you were semi-intelligent."

"Counter offer. You let Roxas go and we promise to ONLY beat you to a pulp!" Riku roared out, holding up his keyblade high.

Axel in turn manifested his own with the force of a thunderclap, which echoed through the air.

Vanitas's eyes glowed bright as a black smoke began to surround them.

Riku felt a suddenly tight pressure in his head and chest and though he fought to stay standing, it was easy to see he was struggling.

"Riku!" Kairi cried.

Riku took a strained step forward but doubled over in agony.

"STOP IT!" Sora shouted. "Leave them OUT of this!"

"Oh, but they had brought this upon themselves.."

As Vanitas said this, he raised a massive paw. Something swished past them, catching Axel in the side followed by another as the old weapons scattered about the room.

Kairi let out a scream of agony as she was caught in the shoulder.

"STOP! P-please STOP!" Sora shouted.

Vanitas only grinned darkly at him.

"Time for me to TURN UP THE HEAT, THEN!" Axel roared out, twirling his keyblade about, burning fire swelling around him, shooting towards Vanitas, knocking him backwards as Riku's pain began to recede, and he took the opportunity to barrel forth, striking at Vanitas with his own keyblade!

Vanitas snarled, baring his sharp teeth.

"I warned you.."

Vanitas swiped at them, striking Riku in the chest, and knocking him into the brick wall. He then turned toward Axel and brought his sharp talons down, pinning Axel to the floor, his sharp talons digging into Axel's chest

"Axel! Riku!" Kairi cried.

"Vanitas, STOP this!" Sora shouted, desperation having now crept into his voice. "Leave them OUT of this!"

"Now.. Why would I do that?" Vanitas growled.

Sora looked at his friends as a deep sadness filled his heart. He closed his eyes. After a moment, he looked up.

"I.. I'll take their place.." he said.

"No.. Sora!" Roxas cried out.

He tried to get up but fell to the floor again. Sora, however, ignored his friend's protest and stepped closer to Vanitas, stepping into the center of the room.

"I won't fight.." Sora continued. "Just.. Let them go.."

Vanitas grinned broadly, showing his sharp fangs. He lifted his massive paw off Axel and made his way toward Sora. As he drew closer, the chains holding Roxas captive vanished from sight.

"Sora, you can't- AHH!"

Roxas's protests were cut off as he was forced out of the barrier, leaving only Sora and Vanitas.

"So you're not as stupid as I had originally thought.." Vanitas commented.

Sora closed his eyes, feeling tears slipping down his cheeks.

_'I'm so sorry..'_

Vanitas made his way closer. He reached toward Sora.. And drew back with a surprised roar. He looked at the boy before him. Sora was surrounded by a bright silver flame that filled the room with an unearthly light. The heat of the flame was comforting and strong but not overwhelming.

"How.. Is this POSSIBLE!?" Vanitas snarled.

Riku, Axel, Roxas, and Kairi all gazed on at Sora, mesmerized, mouths agape, scarcely able to believe what they were seeing.

"Good lord..." Riku murmured. "Sora, you're...what's happening?"

"You look GOOD right now." Axel remarked. "Like...ME good!"

Sora didn't respond to his friends' words. He only stared up at Vanitas, his bright blue eyes filled with shock as he took notice of the bright light emitting from his own body. Vanitas snarled and lunged for Sora. As Vanitas touched the flames, he let out a roar of agony as the darkness around his body began to dissolve away with a loud hiss. They were shocked to see Vanitas's draconic body dissolving away, leaving only a skeletal being behind. Sora felt a sharp pain go through his chest as Vanitas's skeletal hand made contact. Sora screamed and reeled back in agony.

"SORA!" Kairi cried in horror.

Sora clenched his eyes shut as tears slipped down his face. The pain was excruciating and it was beginning to overwhelm him. He started to feel lightheaded as Vanitas continued to press onward. Slowly, Sora's brown hair was growing darker in shade, to the point that it was now a jet black. His body was starting to grow numb and he could feel his head pounding as all color seemed to be draining from him. In his mind's eye, he could see the faces of his friends. It was then that Sora felt something within him snap. Sora's eyes snapped open, revealing they were now glowing a bright golden color as he glared up at Vanitas before him.

"May... Your heart... B...be... YOUR GUIDING KEY!" Sora screamed.

A blast of bright light erupted from Sora's body, striking Vanitas in the chest, sending him flying back into the far wall. Sora slowly stood up, his hair and clothing seeming to be blowing within an nonexisting wind as Sora summoned his Keyblade. He glared at Vanitas as he brought the Keyblade forward.

"MY FRIENDS ARE MY POWER!" Sora roared.

As those words left Sora's mouth, a mix of light and dark magic formed around the Keyblade and shot forward, flashing like a bolt of lightning. The flash lit the entire room as the light struck Vanitas in the chest. Vanitas let out a scream of anger and defiance, which echoed within the massive room. Moments later, the screams began to fade along with the flash of light. As the light cleared, Vanitas was gone.

Slowly, Sora returned to normal. His eyes and hair returned to their natural colors. Sora allowed his body to relax as the Keyblade vanished from sight. The last thing Sora could remember was turning to look at his friends before his eyes slipped shut and he collapsed to the floor.

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for taking so long with this part but I've been extremely busy.. I will try to get more up soon..**


	6. Chapter 6

Part Five

Roxas raced forward, his blonde hair falling into his face as he reached down and picked Sora up, holding him in both arms. He gazed at him with his radiant blue eyes as he smiled warmly at his friend.

"I've got you, Sora. Let's get out of here."

There was a low rumbling noise as everything began to shake around them. The shaking slowly grew stronger and stronger as cracks began to form within the walls and ceiling. As the noise grew louder, and the shaking grew stronger, bits of the ceiling were beginning to break free! The castle was beginning to come down all around them!

"We've got to get out of here!" Axel reasoned. "The place is coming apart."

"Let's get going!" Riku insisted as he and Kairi nodded in agreement.

Bits of the ceiling and the walls begun to rain down from around them as they raced out of the old cathedral. Riku, Axel, and Kairi hurried out of the cathedral as it began to collapse. Roxas lifted Sora from the floor and hurried after his friends as the room began to collapse behind them.

They raced as fast as they could through the tunnels as large chunks of the castle walls began collapsing all about them. Axel turned to his friends, giving them all a small grin as they continued running.

"You know they say that running...is actually good for you...can increase...your life expectancy...talk about stating the obvious!" He wisecracked.

They continued running. As they finally barreled out into the main hall of the old castle, much of the high ceiling had already begun to collapse. Massive chunks littered the floor as more and more came crashing down!

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

After what seemed to have been hours, they made it out into the sunshine outside. There was a loud crash as the ramparts collapsed behind them. Roxas just managed to make it through the doorway as it and what remained of the castle crumbled into nothingness behind them.

Roxas took deep and heavy breaths as he sat up. He looked down at Sora, who had not awoken as of yet.

"Sora?" He said.

He gently shook him.

"Sora, Sora we made it..!"

Sora remained silent as he lay in his friend's arms.

"S-Sora..?"

Sora's eyes remained shut, his breathing shallow and shaky, but then.. At long last, his eyelids slowly fluttered open.

"Did...did we get...you back?"

"Yeah. I'm back, Sora." Roxas said gently.

Sora grinned and rose up off the ground. He then reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. Roxas jumped a little at the sudden hug but smiled as he returned it, holding onto him tightly

"Oh, thank goodness! You're okay!" Sora laughed, hugging Roxas tight. "I'm so happy to see you're alright!"

Roxas continued to hold onto his friend, smiling as he continued hugging him, thankful to see his friend was alright.

"I thought we lost you.." Sora choked out. "I.. I t-thought..."

"Sora, it's alright.." Roxas assured him. "We're all here.. We're safe now.."

After a moment, he pulled back and could see the tears in his friend's eyes. Roxas in turn smiled softly at him, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

Axel chuckled at all this, joining the hug along with Riku and Kairi.

"Now...I believe I said sea salt ice cream's on me?" He asked with a big grin.

Sora smiled and nodded.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The trip back to Twilight Town seemed to take much longer than it actually did. They however soon made it back without incident.

As they sat on the ledge of the old clock tower, Roxas was the first to speak up.

"I'm.. Sorry all of this happened.."

Sora and the others turned to look at him.

"What do you mean, Roxas?" asked Sora confused.

"I made you guys go after me.." Roxas frowned. "If I had been more careful.."

He trailed off, gazing at his ice cream as if it had the answer.

"Roxas, it wasn't your fault." Sora said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you can blame creepy-eyes for that." Axel insisted. "And we're all here and okay now. THAT'S what matters right?" He said, sticking his sea salt ice cream into his mouth.

Roxas nodded softly.

"Y..yeah.." he muttered.

He took a small bite from his own ice cream. Riku got up and made his way over to Roxas's side.

"Axel's right," he smiled. "We're all here and we're all safe."

Sora and Kairi nodded in agreement. Sora soon turned toward the horizon, lost in his own thoughts.

"Everything alright, Sora?" asked Roxas.

Sora jumped slightly as he was snapped out of his thoughts.

"Huh..? Uh, y-yeah.. I just.."

Sora turned to look out toward the horizon.

"I can't remember what happened after facing Vanitas.."

Riku and the others turned to look at each other before Riku made his way over to his friend.

"Sora.. When you fought against Vanitas.. You were nearly overtaken by the darkness."

Sora's eyes grew wide in shock.

"But then you blasted him with light from your keyblade and the rest is history." Axel concluded. "Oh, and the castle collapsed into dust." he added after a moment.

sora stared at them in surprise.

"Anyway, the point is," Axel started. "All that matters is that we're all here and Vanitas is gone. So, no need to worry about what happened.. Got it memorized?"

He tapped the side of his head at the last comment. Sora thought about it for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah.. Okay."

Axel nodded.

"Good.. Now, let's enjoy our ice cream." he smiled.

Everyone nodded and as they sat on the ledge, Sora looked down at his own ice cream, still untouched. As the friends conversed and enjoyed their ice cream, no one seemed to notice as an eerie golden glow flashed through Sora's bright sapphire eyes, as an eerie smile crept across his face.

End

**Author's Note: And so ends another story.. I'm really sorry that took so long.. I've been extremely busy.. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the story and have a great day**


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